Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent combined for 20 points each as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated a feisty Houston Rockets side 104-98 at the Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday (IST).
On a night where the Lakers’ top stars in Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves failed to display efficiency from the court, Finney-Smith and Vincent combined for 12 three-pointers and helped down the Rockets. The Lakers starting five were only able to sink four out of 20 attempted shots from behind the three-point line.
With the win, the Lakers improved to a 46-29 record this season and managed to move two games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies, after a slender 134-127 victory against them on Monday (IST). With the playoffs set to begin in April, the win was certainly important for the Lakers as they moved one game behind the Denver Nuggets.
The 17-time NBA champions are currently fourth in the Western Conference and are one of the strongest contenders in the West this season. However, they face a challenging run-in ahead. With just seven games left this season, the Lakers are yet to face Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and two consecutive games against the number one seed in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
OKC racked up their 10th straight victory with a 145-117 pounding of the Chicago Bulls earlier, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams combined for 50 points on the night and Isaiah Joe contributed 31 points from the bench.
On the other hand, the number two seed in the Eastern Conference and defending NBA champions Boston Celtics completed a perfect 6-0 road trip, the longest unbeaten streak in franchise history, with a 117-106 win over the Grizzlies. Jayson Tatum and Al Horford scored 25 and 26 points, respectively, during the victory at the FedExForum.
